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Ranking 1943 Best Picture Nominees

1943 was not the greatest year for either Hollywood or the Academy Awards. Unlike the previous year, this time around the Academy actually managed to include most of the best movies on its Best Picture slate with only a few glaring omissions. It’s a slate filled with way too many dated WWII pictures, but also a couple of iconic classics and some underrated gems too.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

10. The Human Comedy

Easily the worst movie from this particular slate, The Human Comedy represents so many of the worst things that defined this decade, especially Mickey Rooney and the syrupy optimism. Yes, its depiction of small town communities offers some charm in the proceedings, but its extreme optimism renders the story both naïve and dated. Even worse is Rooney himself who fares off as very annoying and irritating. This film somehow won an Oscar for Best Story when in reality its script is terrible.

9. In Which We Serve

In Which We Serve is a British WWII drama that features an interesting structure, strong acting and excellent cinematography, but it a movie that is so slowly paced, too densely plotted and filled with way too many characters, resulting in a slog to sit through. It was important back when it was released, but now it holds very little cinematic value. Some may respect it due to the people involved, particularly the great David Lean, but in my book this is a mediocre war picture that was only elevated by its technicalities and nothing else.

8. Madame Curie

When you think about the potential for an amazing biographical picture, you would surely not think about the Curie couple. Their life story wasn’t exciting enough for the cinematic treatment and yet here we are with one that of course ended up in the Best Picture race as most big biopics do. The movie is uneventful and lacking in energy, but I still ended up really liking it due to its emphasis on science and also romance with both Walter Pidgeon and Greer Garson delivering wonderful performances.

7. Watch on the Rhine

Watch on the Rhine is a WWII drama that undeniably lost its appeal after its release due to in my opinion its overly slow pace and a weak execution that is more dramatic than thrilling when in reality its espionage premise was ripe for a more intense approach to storytelling. It’s an overall solid, but forgettable flick that is best remembered for its acting performances. Lucile Watson was wonderful as the comic relief while Bette Davis was terrific in an usually down to earth role for her. Paul Lukas himself won an Oscar for his very moving turn here.

6. For Whom the Bell Tolls

For Whom the Bell Tolls was based on an iconic Ernest Hemingway novel that was during this period quite recently released. While literary purists would attack the adaptation for relying more on romance than on history, the movie is still very enjoyable and highly moving in its central romance. It’s a very respected picture in terms of its acting caliber as not only did Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman excel in the main roles, but Akim Tamiroff and Katina Paxinou killed it in the most memorable roles in a film where the supporting characters prevailed.

5. The More the Merrier

Although it is sometimes annoying, the ending is predictable and too emotional and the humor is hit-or-miss, but when it is good, it’s very funny with some charming situations and lines. The characters are extremely likable and well developed, the story is fun and the acting is superb all around with Jean Arthur giving a powerhouse performance absolutely shining in her lead role. It is weird and at times quite polarizing, but The More the Merrier is mostly a good and above all entertaining film that is beautifully charming bringing a smile to your face and it is wonderful and refreshing to see a good screwball comedy from this year and the decade in general.

4. The Song of Bernadette

The fourth placement goes to The Song of Bernadette, one of the four above 4*-rated movies on this list. This is by far the most underrated picture on this entire slate. It was nominated for whopping 12 Academy Awards, yet due to its religious subject matter it’s not relevant to today’s audiences. But I personally highly appreciated its sophisticated and ambiguous tackling of its central conceit, a very strong execution of the biopic formula and excellent performances all around. It’s an overlong, but very well scripted, moving drama that also looks gorgeous.

3. The Ox-Bow Incident

When it comes to the western genre, I gravitate more toward films that favor story instead of action. Whenever classic western movies focused on important themes and historical authenticity instead of patriotism and spectacle, they turned out great. Case in point – The Ox-Bow Incident. This picture works because it’s superbly acted, very well directed and beautifully shot, but above all else because it deals with some important themes, in particular focusing on the immense dangers of mob mentality. It’s the shortest, but most effective movie on this slate.

2. Heaven Can Wait

Heaven Can Wait is an immensely entertaining, charming and comedic film with a great structure, fine mix of genres, absolutely superb and likable characters and some incredibly moving scenes. Charles Coburn, Don Ameche and Jene Tierney are all very good and charming here, particularly Tierney as she was consistently endearing. This is a fantasy romantic comedy that has aged like fine wine and is actually rather underappreciated for everything that it does right. It’s by far the sweetest film on this entire slate and the runner-up for the best nominee.

1. Casablanca

And my number one goes to Casablanca in the most predictable outcome possible. But this decision is the only just one due to how brilliant and timeless this movie truly is. Casablanca has stood the test of time like no other movie on this list. Not only is its dialogue iconic and quotable to this day, but its romance is deeply affecting and the tone is memorably melancholic. The spy and war drama elements are impressively handled too while the score, cinematography and directing are all top-notch. It’s not just the best movie on this slate, but it’s undoubtedly one of the greatest films of all time.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Day of Wrath – One of the year’s greatest pictures by a long shot, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Day of Wrath is one of this Danish master’s finest films. It should have been a rare foreign addition to the BP slate for its incredible atmosphere alone. Its tale of witchcraft is also told in an intriguingly ambiguous manner while the artistic cinematography is a treat.

Shadow of a Doubt – While not among Hitchcock’s greatest movies, Shadow of a Doubt is a very entertaining, beautifully shot and quite intense thriller that benefits from some great set pieces and two very memorable turns form always wonderful Joseph Cotton and Teresa Wright. It’s also thematically rich and very well scripted.

I Walked with a Zombie – I Walked with a Zombie is never particularly creepy in a traditional sense and the second half is weaker than the first one, but it does have a very strong atmosphere, fantastic cinematography and a terrific score. It’s a polished, elegant 40s horror flick with a great attention to detail, an intriguing mystery to it and memorable imagery.